Stencil-plate



PATENT OEEICE.

JOSEPH SYKES, OF MUSOATIE, IOWA.

STENCIL-PLATE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,237, dated June 21, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH SYKEs, of Muscatine, in the county of Muscatineand State i of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Device for Marking Boxes, 85o.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of' the same, rei`- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents an inside view ot' my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of therletters.

Similar letters of parts.

This invention consists in a frame provided with suitable recesses to receive the letters of a stencil-alphabet, out out in suitable pieces of sheet metal, in combination with a secondreferen'ce indicate like Vary frame secured on the inner side of the main frame by means of buttons in such a manner that by means of the letters of the stencilalphabet any desired word or .words can be arranged in the main frame and securely retained therein by the secondary frame, and after such word or words have been thus arranged they can be readily transferred to the top of a box or any other surface in the usual manner of transferring letters, words, or names from stencil-plates.

The nature of my invention and its peculiar advantages will be readily understood from the following description A represents the main frame, which is made of wood or any other suitable material, and of sufticient length to take twelve or more letters of the stencil-alphabet. These letters B are cut out of thin sheet-brass or other suitable material, such as is generally used for stencil-plates, and their ends are made to form tongues a, which are strengthened by straps b, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Said tongues fit into recesses c, formed in the sides oi' the frame A, and they bear against a thin sheet-rnetal plate, d, which is firmly secured to the face of the frame A. An opening, e, (see Fig. 2.,) cut out of the center of this plate, is large enough to expose all the letters which may be placed in the frame A.

The several letters of the stencil-alphabet are retained in the main frame A by the secondary frame O, which tits into the inner side of said main frame, and bears against the edges of the recesses c, as clearly shown in Fig. l. The straps b, which strengthen the tongues a of the letters, bear against the edges of the secondary frame, and prevent the letters from shifting in a transverse direction. Suitable buttons, c', which are secured to the back of the main frame, serve to retain the secondary frame, and by turning these buttons back said secondary frame is released, and the letters can be taken out or chan ged. Bit are blanks, which serve to lill out the empty spaces between the letters or words placed in the frame A. These blanks are made precisely like the letters B, but they have no letters cut in them.

If it is desired to mark a box, the words or letters are placed in the frame A, and secured therein by the secondary frame O, the empty` spaces being lled up by the blanks Bt, and said letters or words are transferred to the top of the box by means of an ordinary blacking-brush dipped in blacking, lor by the same means commonly employed for marking boxes with stencil-plates.

The various letters, belonging to my stencilalphabet are arranged in a suitable box provided with a number of partitions to separate the various letters from each other and large enough totake the blackingbrush and the box containing the blacking, together with `the frames A and C, so that the utensils required for marking boxes are conveniently at hand whenever they may be required.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The main frame A, provided with recesses c, in combination with the secondary fra-me C and letters or blanks B Bt, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein shown and described.

J ULIUs DANIELs, GASPAR Kissen.l 

